Mortal Kombat is now a franchise that transcends generations, and while our youngest readers might be just discovering the franchise now, some of us remember Mortal Kombat as “that violent game from our childhood”. The franchise has been updated several times during its lifespan, but now is the first time where both the old and the new collide in an effort to bring the best from all worlds together.

The 2D is back, the game is fast, violent as ever, the graphics are fantastic, and even the storyline references Mortal Kombat 1-3 while providing an entirely new story, all in the same process. And on top of this, the fatalities are awesome. Being that readers liked our Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe fatalities moves list, we thought it might be a good idea to provide a new one now that there is a new Mortal Kombat game out. Enjoy this bloody feast for the mosquitoes!

One of the best racing games on the original PlayStation is back again for a second lap on the PlayStation Network In March.

It’s Ridge Racer! …Ridge Racer!!!

Okay, okay – silly gaming meme is silly, I will admit, but honestly it’s probably the best thing to describe the high-speed pop-racing stylings of Namco’s flagship Ridge Racer series, and specifically one of the best efforts in that series – which so happens to be coming soon to the PlayStation Network – R4: Ridge Racer Type 4.

From my viewpoint, there is a lot about R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 that makes it special. Be it the fun fast-paced drift-style game play, the amazing number of cars you can unlock, the story-driven Grand Prix mode, or the impressive groove-pumping soundtrack that is hands-down one of the best video game soundtracks ever, Ridge Racer Type 4 was a game that wonderfully carved its own unique presence in the over-crowded sea of other well-recognized racing game series.

Personally (and by that I mean the correct choice,) I think its R4: Ridge Racer Type 4’s fantastic CGI-animated opening cinematic of speeding super-cars in a fierce control over first place while the graceful face of the Ridge Racer series, Reiko Nagase, strolls casually down the race track looking for a ride, which puts this racing game on my – and certainly for many others – “If I were stuck on a desert island” list.

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 also introduced the infamous and quite ridiculous Namco Jogcon controller, an interesting size-able device – made with Ridge Racer Type 4 in mind – that had a black circular dial planted in the middle of the controller that acted like a mini-steering wheel. As much as it was a creative way to control the game, I would have to say using a regular PlayStation controller served much better.

Raccoons, Lombaxes, and whatever the heck Jak is – oh my! Stars from 3 popular PlayStation series come together for an epic universe-crossing adventure for the PlayStation Move.

Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and Jak and Daxter are probably the most recognizable critters from the PlayStation brand, and partly responsible for the PlayStation 2’s great success during that console’s reign. They also share one similar quality that has endeared them to many gamers; imaginative worlds with likable characters and super quality game play.

Now the trio is teaming up back-to-back-to-back for PlayStation Move Heroes, formally Heroes on the Move, an action-adventure PlayStation Move game coming in March, with challenges and new mysterious enemies to face, that will span several familiar locals, such as the Paris rooftops of Sly Cooper or the futuristic Metropolis City from Ratchet and Clank.

50 universe crossing stages will be in PlayStation Move Heroes and can be tackled with your choice of hero, 6 in all – Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Bentley. Each with their own level advantages and signature attacks too, like Ratchet’s gear turning wrench or Jak’s multitasking gun staff.

And all of this is built around the 1-to-1 movement matching capabilities of the PlayStation Move and navigation controller (although the latter is optional.) Using Sony’s motion control set-up will allow you to control your PlayStation hero and smash, melee, and shoot down whatever gets in your PlayStation Move multi-colored sphere’s cross-hairs.

You can also play each level all by your lonesome or with a friend, because PlayStation Move Heroes has two-player co-operative multi-player. Not to the extent where you can play alongside as another protagonist, but as their always there to pick-up-the-slack sidekicks; meaning if you pick Jak as your primary character, your buddy will be taking the role as his loud-mouth counterpart Daxter.

One of the standout leading ladies in the world of video games, Lara Croft, shows some exclusive console love to the Sony PlayStation 3 with announcement The Tomb Raider Trilogy HD.

Lara Croft is undoubtedly one the most recognizable figures in the video game industry to date. Since her original debut in 1996’s Tomb Raider, on the Sony PlayStation, her relic-hunting adventures have sold well over millions and millions of copies. In 2006 in fact, the Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed Lara Croft as the “Most Successful Human Videogame Heroine.”

In a field that is overflowing to the brim with muscle pumping, wise-crack grinning, gun blasting men, Ms. Croft has certainly held her own ground, providing a much need different point of view for players, as well as an entertaining action-adventure series through many different locals across the world. Oh, and of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s quite the eye candy either.

About a month back or so, series developer Crystal Dynamics shed the light on the next entry, the 9th installment to the Tomb Raider series, 2011’s upcoming Tomb Raider. The simple title being used because, the game is promised to be a reboot for the series, a bit grittier, combat focused game staring a very young Lara Croft, who begins Tomb Raider abandoned on an island off the coast of Japan, after the ship she is traveling on gets wrecked in a storm.

The new Tomb Raider probably won’t see the retail shelf space until later this year, but that doesn’t mean gamers won’t be getting any Lara Croft action any time soon. In March Square-Enix, who now owns the Lara Croft brand with their purchase of Eidos Interactive, will be releasing The Tomb Raider Trilogy HD exclusively to the PlayStation 3.

Three games will be included in The Tomb Raider Trilogy HD: 2006’s Tomb Raider: Legend, 2008’s Tomb Raider: Underworld — and the remake of the original Tomb Raider — 2007’s Tomb Raider: Anniversary, which before was only available on the Xbox 360.

All three games will be beautifully remasted in high definition, thus the HD in the title, with bonus content and goodies such as a static theme pack for your XMB, and Lara Croft and Viking Thrall avatars for PlayStation Home.

Such an amazing package, that if you haven’t had the opportunity to play quite yet, then The Tomb Raider Trilogy HD is a sure pick up when it is released in North America, March 22 for $39.99.

This PSP2 mock up looks mighty close to the current PSPgo model – in fact it looks really dead on. Also this Sony Bravia TV is one part sweet flat-screen and one-part PlayStation 2.

All bases are covered for when MLB 11: The Show hits the PlayStation 3 in March with a home run of a pre-order bonus and a special baseball-themed DualShock 3 controller.

The cold of winter has vanished, the sun is shinning, all of nature is full of life, and the cracks of baseball bats can be heard as the start of spring training is under way. Of course, this is still – unfortunately – more than a few months away, but that caveat surely isn’t stopping Sony’s San Diego Studios from releasing the newest info about the upcoming MLB 11: The Show.

Days back, San Diego Studios pulled the curtain off and announced that Minnesota Twins All-Star catcher Joe Mauer would be returning as their cover athlete to one of the best baseball video game series on the PlayStation 3. Good news for fans of Mr. Mauer and the Twins, but don’t think just because one thing stays the same, the rest of MLB 11: The Show will follow suit.

This year’s version of MLB 11: The Show moves forward with a new set of pure analog controls, 3D television support, and PlayStation Move support to boot. All nice and dandy for sure — and better yet — for those already interested in picking up the game, there will be some special surprises waiting for you come March 8, 2011.

By preordering and buying MLB 11: The Show, you’ll get a full 30-day access to MLB.TV, the MLB’s premium on-demand service that gives members access to every regular-season game in HD with full DVR-controls — a usual $100 monthly service, that for a limited time, will be beautifully free.

If you’re not the pre-ordering type, don’t fret, the goodies don’t stop there. On the same day of MLB 11: The Show’s March 8th launch, Sony will have available a limited-edition DualShock 3 controller. A dream for every baseball fan, this DualShock 3 looks like a baseball used in the pros and will be sold on the same day as MLB 11: The Show for $54.99.

Your neighborhood friendly Spider-Man and a few of his super-powered friends from the Marvel Universe arrive on the PlayStation Network in pinball form with the release of Marvel Pinball.

We’ve all had that same dream every once-in-a-while to own our very own pinball machine. The flashing lights, crazy sounds of bleeps and bloops announcing multipliers and high-scores, and the many different licensed tables from Back To The Future to The Simpsons, are what make these old-school score-attacking machines so cool.

Sadly, trying to own a pinball machine is like trying own one of those high-tech Japanese toilets you find in fancy hotel suites — you must have a lot of cash to drop in order to buy one. The price to own a pinball machine costs around $4,000, that’s not including yearly maintenance — oh and shipping, which can cost a hefty sum just to transport too!

There is a consolation to this problem, all thanks to the digital age with pinball games for video game consoles; one of the very best of which being the Pinball FX series from Zen Studios. And now, if your love of pinball also matches your love for Marvel’s Spider-Man, Iron Man, Blade, or Wolverine — then let me introduce to you Marvel Pinball.

You don’t need much to understand what Marvel Pinball is — it’s basically Marvel-themed pinball tables, in pretty HD graphics, that are simple to pick up and fun to play. All four tables included in the package are uniquely stylized to fit whatever super-hero they are featuring, but with more than just blinking lights and simple pinball sounds.

Each table features graphical effects that can’t be pulled-off on any regular pinball machine, like Tony Stark suiting up as Iron-Man — or on vampire hunter Blade’s table — a night mode with UV balls speeding across a lights-out table. All the tables in Marvel Pinball are of high-quality, with so many neat details to delightfully ensnare the Marvel Comics aficionado for hours on end.

And for pinball fanatics, there’s online leader boards where you can match scores against friends and the rest of the world, plus special challenges that will need some really good player skill to achieve.

For $9.99 on the PlayStation Store, Marvel Pinball is an awesome deal that will have you flipping peddles, lighting up scoreboards, and breaking high-point marks instantly — all while enjoying the sweet-looking graphics and the fantastic presentation showing off some of your favorite Marvel Comic’s tights-wearing finest.

Back with a vengeance! …and a mustache and a jump button too! Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 swings back into action onto the PlayStation Network, beginning this February.

2008’s Bionic Commando: Rearmed was a high definition remake of the classic 1988 NES game Bionic Commando, that in its day was revolutionary as a side-scrolling action game simply because of one addition – or rather subtraction. The rather apparent, but purposeful, lack of a jump button.

Where almost everything before it in the magical fairy tale world of 2D platformers in the 1980’s — Super Mario Bros. being the mighty king — stuck to the jumping mechanic law of the land, the team at Capcom tossed caution to the wind and came up with the skillful game play of swinging to, over, and around obstacles and enemies.

It’s a proven formula that doesn’t need much fusing around with by throwing in rocket packs or psychic powers (albeit cool in their own right.) This is why Bionic Commando: Rearmed didn’t stray far from the original, and why it was a success as a retro revival when it came out through digital distribution channels.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2, now under the development of FatShark from the no-longer-in-business GRIN, brings pretty much the same game play back again in this next installment, but stirs in some interesting new ingredients into the pot, the biggest addition of course, being the jump button.

Whether this inclusion will detract from the core-game play that is the Bionic Commando series is still left up in the air for gamers to decide. Thankfully for retro-gaming purists, FatShark has generously bestowed an option to disable the ability to jump, and better yet, can be completed without it.

There are a host of other little differences in the game, such as the removal of vertical scrolling levels (but then no one liked those in the first place anyway) and in-game enchantments that can up your attributes and fire power which can be bought at Upgrade Kiosks. Weirdly enough, protagonist Nathan “Rad” Spencer even has a new look, sporting a more aggressive hair-style and mustache to match.

None of these new features, especially the porno-stash, truly alienate the true Bionic Commando style, but simply add it to. Everything else from really sweet looking graphics, fun swinging side-scrolling platforming, a great arsenal of weapons, co-op multi-player, awesome tunes, and a crazy dictator trying to conquer the world are all here, and in good fashion, in Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2.

Oh sweet sixteen. Coming this January is a sampling of classic games from the TurboGrafx-16 to the PlayStation Network.

The TurboGrafx-16, produced by a joint venture between game developer Hudson Soft, and electronics manufacturer NEC, was quite the interesting video game console of its day, and not because of their mascot, a fellow by the named of Johnny Turbo…

Now, the TurboGrafx-16 was a massively popular console in its native market of Japan; even remarkably out-selling both the Nintendo Famicom and the Sega Genesis at one point in its availability. Unfortunately, that same success never followed through in the United States, where Nintendo and Sega had a firm grip in.

Clueless marketing and a lack of third-party support was the TurboGrafx’s toobstone, and after a few short years in the market, the console had exhausted all of its resources to compete without making so much as a dent sales wise, and thus quietly exited from the North America market altogether in 1995, lasting only 6 years since it debut in 1989.

Truly gone for good from the collective memory of your average person, but certainly not forgotten by those who managed to own the TurboGrafx-16 back in the day – and for good reason. The console had a slew of memorable games that showed off the system’s strengths at the time, awesome graphics and sound performance.

Beginning mid January, a sample of these games from the TurboGrafx-16’s library will become available on the PlayStation Network, as part as the TurboGrafx Classics collection.

You’ll be able to play these games on either your PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable, but beyond that in the bells-and-whistles department, this vintage pack of games are just straight up ports. Not a real attractive package, but if your TurboGrafx-16 thrust must be quenched, then look no further.

Here is the first helping of games that will hit the PlayStation Store in the coming weeks, with more to follow soon after:

Alien Crush

Bomberman ’94

Bonk’s Adventure

Dungeon Explorer

Neutopia

New Adventure Island

Soldier Blade

Super Star Soldier

Victory Run

World Sports Competition

No price point or specific release date has been given by Hudson Entertainment. Although, it almost a certainty that they will be priced in the $5 to $10 range, plus with only three weeks left in January, expect to see the collection on the PlayStation Store front in a couple of weeks.

Great Scott! A LittleBigPlanet 2 Beta user has used the game’s fabulous creation tools to recreate a level based off Back to the Future, featuring that geekiest of movie relics — the DeLorean time machine.

LittleBigPlanet 2, from darling developers Media Molecule, was originally suppose to launch in November 2010, yet was sadly pushed back to January 18, 2011. Nothing wrong with a little more time in the oven for a PlayStation 3 exclusive game, especially a game with such a powerful game creation platform and a better improved online community.

Plus it also helps to lessen the loss of such a highly anticipated title, when you allow your Beta users to show off its true potential. Which LittleBigPlanet 2 has done and given us such level masterpieces such as Pac-Man or After Burner — even other critically-acclaimed games, such as thatgamecompany’s Flower.

And while they all are impressively imaginative and cool, they personally just lack that certain memorable 1980’s movie spice – a certain four-wheeled creation that doesn’t need roads for where it’s going. Well, now thanks to PlayStation Network user Hymanator, we get just that.

Out of “the power of love” and using LittleBigPlanet 2’s virtual building blocks, Hymanator has made a splendid tribute to the Back to the Future trilogy with a full game level starring the DeLorean, undoubtly the coolest time machine ever fictionally made. (With Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’s time-traveling phone booth a close second.)

Described as a DeLorean time-travel simulator, this LittleBigPlanet 2 level has you piloting Doc Brown’s famous machine (flux capacitor included) and traveling through Hill Valley in all 1985, 1955, and 2015 realities. But what kind of tribute to Back to the Future doesn’t have Marty McFly’s hoverboard, you say? Well fear not – Hymanator included that too! And yes, those things don’t work on water… unless you’ve got POWER!

The bird-bombing pig thwarting mobile phone sensation Angry Birds finally makes it way on to the PlayStation Network, with a download-able PlayStation minis version available now.

Angry Birds has taken the world of portable gaming by storm. Finland-based Rovio Mobile have pulled off making a simple, addictive, and quite charming puzzle game that has sold over millions of copies, and has been mentioned by the likes of late night funny man Conan O’Brien, and big name television star John Hamm (AMC’s Mad Men.)

Now the runway hit of 2010 has smashed a bird-sized whole into the PlayStation Store, by releasing a PlayStation minis version that is currently for purchase. A most splendid of ports for Angry Birds’ fans that want to experience their beloved game on a high-definition screen, instead of fingerprint muddied ones.

For anyone who has never played Angry Birds, as I’ve mention, the game play isn’t all that complex to get down — fling birds at pigs, eliminate pigs, and winner, winner, chicken… err, I mean, pig dinner! See? Simple.

There are a multitude of birds to fire, each one with special abilities, from explosive egg dropping birds to kamikaze ones, to help get revenge on those dastardly pigs, who by the way, have constructed hide-outs and shelters from wood, glass and stone. (Hmm, it’s almost like they’ve been in this situation before.)

Controls for the game would usually be for touch-screen, but with the PlayStation mini version, obviously you can’t do that, so instead you aim with the left analog stick. A fairly easy adaptation that is sure to work perfectly, give or take which control scheme, touch or analog, suits you.

The total Angry Birds package is a nest full of 63 levels, all based around fun challenging physic-based destruction puzzles, that will be sure to last for hours on end and have great replay value to boot! All for the totally reasonable price of $3.99.